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Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue are welcomed by their excited fans after arriving at London International Airport Monday from the Winter Olympics where they won gold in the ice dance competition. Hundred greeted Moir, of Ilderton, and Virture, of London, who took the time to pose for photos and sign autographs for the crowd. (MORRIS LAMONT/THE LONDON FREE PRESS)

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Who says Londoners are subdued? The hundreds of Forest City residents who crammed into the arrivals end of London International Airport Monday evening to greet Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir certainly weren’t shy about showing their feelings.

“Wel! Come! Home!” they chanted before their returning heroes showed up at about 7 p.m. Twice the waiting crowd broke out into O Canada. Heck, even the luggage carousel got a big cheer when it started turning and whirring.

Once the jet-lagged pair ambled through the glass arrival doors, they were scrummed by local and Toronto media. It was hard for reporters to hear their remarks over the crowd’s roars.

“Pretty good, pretty good,” a bleary-eyed Moir said when asked how they were doing after their trip back from South Korea. Indicating he hadn’t slept in the past three of four days, Moir said he was in a place beyond being tired. “We don’t need (sleep) anymore,” he said.

“It was different than any other Olympics,” Moir explained of the duo’s experiences in Pyeongchang, then added, “It’s crazy to see the amount of people here.”

Denfield’s Helen Farmer, along with her husband and four young children, was among those who made the trek to the airport.

Why did she turn up there on a blustery February night? “Just to welcome back the Olympians and to show our support for them. We watched them win the gold,” Farmer said, noting she still has 20 hours of unwatched Olympic programming at home on her PVR.

Londoner Cindy Nelson and her two children and parents were also in attendance. “We watched every single one of them in their competitions on the ice,” she said. “Never met them, it doesn’t matter. They deserve the warmest welcome.”

A good part of the crowd was made up of children. They carried homemade signs with messages like “Team Canada forever” and “Welcome home Tessa & Scott.” Little girls sat on their fathers’ shoulders to get a better view of the much-decorated pair.

With their latest hardware haul, including another gold in a team event, Moir and Virtue have become the most-decorated figure skaters in Olympic history. Their past medals include a gold in 2010, a silver in 2014 and a silver in the 2014 team event.

Moir, 30, and Virtue, 28, previously suggested that Pyeongchang would be their final Olympics, but on Monday night they didn’t have anything to announce along those lines.

Asked if a move back to Ontario from Montreal might be in the cards now that their training days are over, a smiling Virtue said, “We just got off the plane.”

“They haven’t officially said ‘retirement,’” Farmer noted.

Asked about how she plans to decompress in London, Virtue said, “Just spending time with our family and friends. It’ll be nice just to spend some quiet moments.”